Recommend a portable for first timer w/ lung cancer

[the Edge]

I just recently found out that a good friend of mine with lung cancer has been smoking cannabis for medicinal purposes. He has no clue about vaporizing and I would like to try and get him converted for obvious reasons.

So I am looking for a portable that is good for a first timer. Something that doesn't require too much technique or has a steep learning curve. I also would prefer something that's not too difficult or time consuming to clean, I'm afraid if it's too much of a hassle it will turn him off to the whole idea of vaporizing.

I'd like to keep the price under $150-200. So far it seems the Solo may be a good fit but I have never actually used one and would love to hear advice from those that have.

Thank you, any help will be appreciated.

 

[Meghan]

I just recently found out that a good friend of mine with lung cancer has been smoking cannabis for medicinal purposes. He has no clue about vaporizing and I would like to try and get him converted for obvious reasons.

So I am looking for a portable that is good for a first timer. Something that doesn't require too much technique or has a steep learning curve. I also would prefer something that's not too difficult or time consuming to clean, I'm afraid if it's too much of a hassle it will turn him off to the whole idea of vaporizing.

I'd like to keep the price under $150-200. So far it seems the Solo may be a good fit but I have never actually used one and would love to hear advice from those that have.

Thank you, any help will be appreciated.

The Solo is a great vape if your friend is interested in switching to something more digital. It's easy to use, low maintenance, and tastes great. If you think your friend might be more easily converted by something a little closer to combustion, I highly recommend the Lotus. It has replaced my Solo as my daily driver. It feels very familiar to a smoker, and requires no more effort than smoking. There is a technique to learn, but it's easy to master--within a bowl or two. (There's a 15% off sale on the Lotus website this weekend, so this is a good time to buy one!)

Edited to add that if your friend only has one vape, I highly recommend one that won't run out of batteries when he needs it. Nothing will drive someone back to combustion faster than a dead vape. That's why the Lotus is my new favorite vape...it has never failed me yet!

 

[hoptimum]

The Solo is low maintenance and easy to use. However, some smokers find the draw a little annoying at first because its more like sipping a milkshake. The temperature settings also take a little getting used to, but that temperature flexibility is really what vaporizing is about, IMO

 

[olivianewtonjohn]

@Meghan made some great points and owns many vaps..... One difference that she talked about but I want to expand on is how with the solo you really just set temp level (1-7) and gently inhale; its a very relaxing experience and is more of a session vap (ex. good for sitting back and relaxing). I am not saying you cant do that with the lotus but is seems like a different experience to me. I cant say much about emulating a smoking experience since I dont have a lotus and I never really liked coughing up a lung when I smoked.

 

[the Edge]

Between the Solo and Lotus any opinions on which is easier to clean? If he has to soak anything in ISO, especially on a repeated basis, that's probably going to be a deal killer i'm guessing.

 

[olivianewtonjohn]

Between the Solo and Lotus any opinions on which is easier to clean? If he has to soak anything in ISO, especially on a repeated basis, that's probably going to be a deal killer i'm guessing.

With my solo I maybe clean it every month or two. All that really happens is the glass gets oily after awhile, very low maintenance; and if you have more than one glass stem then you can wait even longer to clean. The bowl really doesnt get dirty IME

 

[Meghan]

Between the Solo and Lotus any opinions on which is easier to clean? If he has to soak anything in ISO, especially on a repeated basis, that's probably going to be a deal killer i'm guessing.

The Solo is lower maintenance for sure. The Lotus screens gunk up relatively quickly (for a chronic vaporist like myself especially!) and I can't imagine not wanting to clean it up a bit at least once a week. By contrast, the Solo screen doesn't gunk up as quickly and the vape itself never really gets dirty.

The two vapes definitely offer completely different experiences. I had a smoking friend visit a couple of weekends ago. She was interested in switching to vaping, so I showed her the Solo, the Pinnacle Pro, and the Lotus. Her prior experience with vaping was a whip-based desktop vape, which she hated. I showed her the Solo first and she liked it...she was impressed with the smooth and flavorful hits. However, as soon as I pulled out the Lotus she was in love. It turned out that what turned her off from vaping was the idea of sitting passively and inhaling. She liked the ritual. She liked the flame. She loved the Lotus.

It really just depends on your friend. I'd suggest getting his feedback about what he enjoys when he medicates. Some people don't want simple. Others do. I think the Solo is essentially the best "automatic" choice for a first vape (especially with a power adapter so it will always be available to use), and the Lotus is the best "manual" choice. I'm glad I have both, honestly. If I'm super sick, I may not want to deal with using a flame with the Lotus. It's nice to be able to lie in bed and cradle the Solo for dear life. lol. But I'm finding that I enjoy the experience of using the Lotus 90% of the time these days.

Neither one is a bad choice, for sure!

 

[Unconnected]

Honestly get him a plug in home vape, starting with a portable is not a good idea in my opinion, you just cant beat the power of AC 110v. A good home vape like an SSV, Exq or maybe a volc (good for first timers because no technique required) will get him onto the winning team much more effectively than a difficult to hit portable with limited battery life.

If he needs to medicate on the go, he can just smoke a joint or something, partial vape conversion is much more effective than total vape conversion, he can get a portable with time once he has the commitment to learn to use one effectively.

Unless he wants to hit a BHO pen, those seem to just floor you hard all day long regardless of skill. But for herb, go plug in first time.

 

[olivianewtonjohn]

Honestly get him a plug in home vape, starting with a portable is not a good idea in my opinion, you just cant beat the power of AC 110v. A good home vape like an SSV, Exq or maybe a volc (good for first timers because no technique required) will get him onto the winning team much more effectively than a difficult to hit portable with limited battery life.

If he needs to medicate on the go, he can just smoke a joint or something, partial vape conversion is much more effective than total vape conversion, he can get a portable with time once he has the commitment to learn to use one effectively.

Unless he wants to hit a BHO pen, those seem to just floor you hard all day long regardless of skill. But for herb, go plug in first time.

Perhaps @Meghan or someone with more vaps can chime in. This is pure speculation based on what I have heard (I only have a solo), the solo does not have those negatives. I have heard it can keep up with the extreme Q. It has very good battery life (something like 8+ 12min sessions depending on usage). You can also buy a power adapter.

It probably cant compete with any of the 7th floor vaps in vapor density but if it can compete with the EQ then it must not be that bad for a portable. When I was buying I heard from a few people that they sold their EQ after buying a solo.

 

[Unconnected]

Mate its just basic electrical engineering, batteries just cant match the power of a proper home power socket, the amount of power it takes to warm a bowl of herb to 200c to get a good vape going is quite a lot. (im talking in theoretical, energy transformation shit here). I like to think i have had a decent range of vapes, ive covered both convection and conduction portables, they just cant match a proper vape, for me a portable will only get me high if i stay sober all day until after dark then vape up. If you have a decent tolerance and cant smoke crazy strong weed all the time than a home unit will hit you way harder. A smoker wants to get hit hard, they want to feel stoned not high. Portables get me high, desktops get me stoned with their big temp range. For me i medicate for hectic insomnia so i personally i need to be able to vape at 230/240 c towards the end of the night at the end of my bowls. Im not a doctor but a feel like someone with a real medical need like a cancer patient might want the full gamut of the herbs benefits. I know the solo has a good range, but i still feel like unless portability is critical to this guy, as in, he cant medicate at home for some reason, he should just buy a extremeQ or DBV or something, or stretch for an ssv.

also Solos are not that portable anyway.

ExtremeQs are maintainence free if you elbow pack it, just use a little brush to clean the back of the dome screen of keif resin every few bowls and the rest doesnt need anything done, its totally hands free and just sits there ready to go all day i used mine for years you almost never need to clean the elbow, once every 6-9 months with daily use, just chuck it in the dish washer and bam.

 

[olivianewtonjohn]

Mate its just basic electrical engineering, batteries just cant match the power of a proper home power socket, the amount of power it takes to warm a bowl of herb to 200c to get a good vape going is quite a lot. (im talking in theoretical, energy transformation shit here). I like to think i have had a decent range of vapes, ive covered both convection and conduction portables, they just cant match a proper vape, for me a portable will only get me high if i stay sober all day until after dark then vape up. If you have a decent tolerance and cant smoke crazy strong weed all the time than a home unit will hit you way harder. A smoker wants to get hit hard, they want to feel stoned not high. Portables get me high, desktops get me stoned with their big temp range. For me i medicate for hectic insomnia so i personally i need to be able to vape at 230/240 c towards the end of the night at the end of my bowls. Im not a doctor but a feel like someone with a real medical need like a cancer patient might want the full gamut of the herbs benefits. I know the solo has a good range, but i still feel like unless portability is critical to this guy, as in, he cant medicate at home for some reason, he should just buy a extremeQ or DBV or something, or stretch for an ssv.

also Solos are not that portable anyway.

ExtremeQs are maintainence free if you elbow pack it, just use a little brush to clean the back of the dome screen of keif resin every few bowls and the rest doesnt need anything done, its totally hands free and just sits there ready to go all day i used mine for years you almost never need to clean the elbow, once every 6-9 months with daily use, just chuck it in the dish washer and bam.

Thats a very good point that I didnt really think about. Since im a lightweight and a rec. user this has never impacted me, glad you brought this up. Guess its another category that @the Edge will have to consider.

EDIT: Since maintenance seems to be a big consideration, how is it with the DBV or SSV?

 

[clouded vision]

if you haven't tried a solo you really shouldn't be commenting on how effective it is. Like the reviews say the solo can in fact keep up with and even surpass some desktop vapes. IME it produced more vapor than my HA did. I think the solo is the best choice for the OP based on his requirements. There is no learning curve with the solo because the restricted draw prevents people new to vaporizing from drawing too quickly. Cleaning is very easy, only the glass stems get dirty and they can be cleaned with iso, scraped out with a bamboo skewer or even left dirty for months on end. Don't let the size worry you either, it really isn't that big,I can carry mine in my pocket with the stem in a cigar tube and it isn't awkward, of course it isn't the smallest vape either. I just remember expecting it to be bigger than it was based on what I had read about it. Where the solo really shines over desktops is the ability to carry it around the house with you and take hits along the way similar to a bowl.

 

[pakalolo]

Meghan has nailed it, really. Both suggestions are excellent, but the most valuable part of her advice is to consider your friend's preferences, such as:

• Does he smoke joints?
• Prefer a one-hitter?
• Like to use a bong, dry or with water?
• Does he want to do this only at home?
• Does he need stealth during use?
• Does he need something that doesn't advertise its function?
• Is he using it for pain relief?

You'll also want to find out what priority to give each answer. Unconnected makes a good point too. Keep in mind that if he decides to switch to vaporizing (and you should beat him about the ears until he does) he will definitely need more than one, so a plug-in could be the next step. I think you're going about it the right way by starting with a reasonably priced portable.

 

[Meghan]

Honestly get him a plug in home vape, starting with a portable is not a good idea in my opinion, you just cant beat the power of AC 110v. A good home vape like an SSV, Exq or maybe a volc (good for first timers because no technique required) will get him onto the winning team much more effectively than a difficult to hit portable with limited battery life.

If he needs to medicate on the go, he can just smoke a joint or something, partial vape conversion is much more effective than total vape conversion, he can get a portable with time once he has the commitment to learn to use one effectively.

Honestly, I disagree completely that a plug-in is a good first vape. I use my plug-in vape the least, if only because I so rarely vape in one dedicated spot all day. However, I do vape all day (every day), and therefore have a pretty massive tolerance...both the Solo and the Lotus (especially) get me thoroughly medicated, no problem at all. The Lotus is in NO way underpowered compared to a plug-in (considering that you are controlling heat production), and the Solo also keeps up quite well. I've never not felt medicated after using either of them, let's put it that way.

I think the key to quitting combustion is to get someone vaping for at least five days straight. That's what I did, and then I lit up a pre-roll. BLECH! So I think if you can find someone a vape they will be able to use exclusively for even just a week, that will go a long way toward helping them make a permanent switch. A desktop vape is a great thing to have, but not at first...unless your friend only smokes in his house, and only in a particular location. Otherwise it will feel like a pair of shackles.

 

[the Edge]

After much deliberation I ended up going with the Lotus. I was nearly sold on the Solo but after reading everyones comment's and giving it some deep thought I settled on the Lotus.

Thank you very much to everyone who offered insight. Hopefully I made a good decision and he loves it!